Jean-Baptiste Victor Chazelas (born 23 April 1885 in Bussière-Galant; died 29 December 1953 in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

) was a French colonial administrator. He served as acting lieutenant governor of Mauritania from August 1934 to 1 November 1934 and from 15 April 1935 to 10 November 1935. Victor Chazelas was the son of innkeepers Eusèbe and Marguerite Chazelas. He served as a in 1906/1907 in the 63rd Infantry Regiment. In 1912 he began his career in the French colonial administration. In 1914, he was chef de cabinet of the governor of

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Chazelas served in 1915 as a second lieutenant of the 63rd Infantry Regiment at the front against the German Reich. In August 1916 he was sent to Cameroon displaced and from August 1918 to March 1919 he was one of the Armée française d'Orient. After retiring from the army Chazelas returned in June 1919 to Cameroon. There he worked as a district leader; from 1919 in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Ai ...

, from 1922 in

Ebolowa Ebolowa is the capital of Cameroon's South Region (Cameroon), South Region. It has a population of 79,500 (2001 estimate). It is a colonial town and a notable agricultural centre. Overview The main crop is Cocoa bean, cocoa. It also hosts an ...

and from 1925 in

Kribi Kribi is a beach resort and sea port in Cameroon. Location The coastal town of Kribi lies on the Gulf of Guinea, in Océan Department, South Province, at the mouth of the Kienké River. This location, lies approximately , by road, south of ...

.''CHAZELAS Jean Baptiste Victor''
Website of the Archives nationales, accessed 8. January 2013. For the Paris Colonial Exposition of 1931 he wrote the book ''Territoires africains sous mandat de la France: Cameroun et Togo''. Chazelas became governor of Mauritania from August to November 1934 and again on an interim basis from April to November 1935. From April 1938 to February 1939 he served on an interim basis as the governor of the colony of Niger. In 1940, the

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a Spa town, spa and resort town and in World ...

government tried without success in placing Chazelas in Chad. Chazelas was a harsh critic of Louis Hunkanrin, calling him a communist sympathizer and insinuating that he derived a profit from his articles about slaves.

References

1885 births 1953 deaths Colonial Governors of French Niger French colonial governors of Mauritania {{Mauritania-politician-stub